Chapter 37
Clarissa groaned as she came to. Her head was still foggy and felt like it was going to split in two. She had to fight to open her eyes. When she finally managed to, she was greeted by the sight of the last person she ever wanted to see again. Fuhito was standing above her and looking down with curiosity. She tried to curse, but nothing more than another groan came out.
At her noise, he placed a hand firmly on her shoulder. Not that she could have moved anyway. His voice was sickly sweet when he finally smiled and spoke to her. "I see that it was no exaggeration that the enhancements of a First are far more than those of the other classes. I will have to adjust your medicine accordingly. Don't worry, I will give you my word that we will be taking good care of you."
Clarissa managed to shrug his hand off her shoulder as she gave him a glare. She was finally able to form words, even though they still slurred somewhat. "You are dead."
He raised a brow and leaned over with a smirk. "Oh, I don't think so. We have so many plans that you are central to." He then stood and pushed a button on a machine Clarissa hadn't noticed before. She immediately felt the cold rush into her arm, where she saw several tubes hooked up. Her attention was snagged from that when he spoke again. "I look forward to working with you."
Clarissa tried to snarl at him, but it came out more like a weak mewl as the drugs had already started to take effect. She fought to keep her eyes open, but it was a lost cause. She was so far gone that she didn't even consciously notice the moment she slipped into darkness once more.
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It was some time in the middle of the night when Genesis woke with a start. He looked around to see if there was any sign of danger, but after a moment, he realized the rest of the camp still seemed to be asleep. That didn't keep the feeling of foreboding from settling in. He padded across to the entrance of his tent and stuck his head out to look around. It didn't take long to see that things appeared peaceful. Still, he knew he wasn't getting back to sleep.
He decided to investigate further, so he grabbed his boots. He had barely finished lacing them when his phone rang. Immediately he felt his heart in his throat. It was made worse when he picked it up and saw who was calling. His voice was cold when he answered. "For your sake, I hope you aren't calling in the middle of the night to give me bad news."
He heard a sigh on the other end before Sephiroth spoke in a tired voice. "I wish I could tell you that you're wrong." There was a slight pause before he continued. "Genesis, we have reason to believe that Clarissa has been kidnapped by Avalanche."
Genesis froze for several moments while his brain tried to process what was just said. When he finally spoke again, he barely managed to keep a leash on his temper. "Please tell me you did not just say that my wife is missing. Surely she was with your clones, and they were all under guard."
Sephiroth rubbed his temple. He didn't often get headaches, but times like these brought them on. Still, he managed to keep his voice even. "Yes, she was. However, when she saved the boys, it put her in a position to become overwhelmed. We already have a team of people trying to determine which way they went, and we are working on setting up several teams to try and figure out where they may have taken her."
It was barely more than a few seconds later that Sephiroth heard a crashing noise that made him wince right before the line went dead. He sighed as he realized he hadn't had a chance to tell Genesis everything, and he had a feeling he would not be able to reach the man if he called back. That crash was rather distinctive. Instead, he picked up the phone and dialed another number.
Veld did not sound pleased when he picked up. "I don't have any updates yet. There was no evidence left on the roof either, so we will be polling our network to find any information."
Sephiroth managed to keep his voice calm when he responded. "Thank you for that update, but that wasn't why I called. I thought it would be best for you to reach out to your man with the President. Genesis took the news about as well as expected. If he has not already woken the others, they need to be warned."
Veld made a disgusted noise before he could think better. He then cleared his throat and answered. "I will let them know. If anything changes, you will be the first I contact."
"Good. I have already gathered three teams to track down any information you find. As soon as you give the word, they can deploy."
"Understood." That was the last thing said as the men hung up.
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Genesis was standing in the middle of his tent and trying to calm his heaving breaths. He was fixated on his shattered phone, where it was lying on the ground near the entrance. It took all he had not to light everything on fire as he tried to calm himself so he could think. Now wasn't the time to lose his mind.
After several minutes, he finally managed to calm his breathing enough that he was able to think straight. He already realized that if Ravens had taken her, then Sephiroth had been correct that Avalanche was involved. Just the thought of Hollander and Fuhito with Clarissa in their grasp was enough to have flames at his fingertips once more. He forcefully banished that image as he grabbed his gloves and duster.
A part of his mind realized that his anger was a way to deal with the pain. He was well acquainted with the things that Hollander was willing to do to get results, and he had a feeling Fuhito would be worse. The idea of his wife being subjected to any of that caused a rift inside that left him reeling. He couldn't focus on it, or he would be useless.
Once he was dressed, he headed straight for the tent that held both Rufus and Tseng. He didn't bother announcing himself before he entered. There was a light on anyway, so he was not shocked to see Tseng turn to him with a frown as he hung up the phone.
The Turk didn't give him a chance to say anything before he spoke up. "That was Director Veld. I have already been apprised of the situation."
Genesis clenched his jaw to keep from snapping out. That didn't mean his voice wasn't still hard when he answered. "Good. Then there will be no question when I take half the troops and one of the trucks. If we leave now, I can be there in less than twenty-four hours."
Rufus was already up by that point as well. He looked between the two men with a frown before he spoke to Tseng. "Given the Commander's reaction, I can guess that something has happened to Lieutenant-Commander Rhapsodos, correct?"
Tseng gave him a sharp nod before he explained. "Yes. It appears as though she has been kidnapped by Avalanche. The three boys we found in Wutai were able to escape, but her actions to keep the attackers away led to her being taken."
Rufus only deliberated for a moment before he nodded. "It will not be good for any of us if they are allowed to hold her for an extended amount of time. Given her unique circumstances, it could prove problematic for us."
Rufus then ran a hand through his tousled hair to right it as he gave his orders. "Gather the men and have them break down camp. Commander Rhapsodos is correct. If we have the men alternate driving duties, then we can be there sooner than expected. Hopefully, by then, we will have a lead and can send out a retrieval force."
Genesis was still fuming and could not stand around and wait for them to be finished. He didn't even say anything before he turned and exited the tent. He was already barking orders to the men that were on guard. The rest of the camp was roused within minutes.
Genesis thought about taking one of the trucks and leaving anyway, but once he saw how fast the men were moving and the fact that a few of them seemed to be goading the rest to hurry mollified him enough to wait. It wasn't long until they were all on the way to Midgar.
Once the trucks were moving, Genesis raised a prayer to Minerva to keep his wife safe. He knew the Goddess had sworn off any direct influence once they destroyed Jenova, but he hoped she meant her promise to watch over them all. He prayed it would be enough.
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Vagaries of Fate
FanfictionSequel to Life Finds a Way. Clarissa and the three Firsts didn't have much of a chance to relax after Jenova was mostly destroyed. There are still many things to be addressed and Fate can have a funny way of bringing up the unexpected. Our redeemed...